2006 Volvo Xc70 Ocean Race Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Volvo: Tesla's Autopilot is just a 'wannabe'

Using the words "unsupervised wannabe" in an interview with The Verge, Volvo's Trent Victor says the Tesla Autopilot is "giving the impression it's doing more than it is." According to Victor, Tesla's self-driving tech is merely appearing to be autonomous because, with the Tesla system, the driver has to be fully alert all the time, ready to regain control. Tesla says its system is Level 2 autonomous, although some experts regard it as Level 3, which means it takes over safety-critical functions from the driver. Volvo says it pays more attention to actual crash avoidance, and that its Drive Me system is Level 4 autonomous, meaning that in the event of a hazardous situation the vehicle will handle the appropriate procedures and bring itself to a halt in a safe fashion. There will be no need for the driver to take action, which is important in case the driver has been incapacitated while the Drive Me autopilot has been controlling the car. Another thing with the Volvo setup is that it monitors the road in case of a conflict situation, or someone suddenly appearing in front of the car, be it a pedestrian or a runaway child. Tesla has never said that its Autopilot is anything other than a beta version under trial usage. It costs $2,500 when you purchase your Model 2 or X, or $3,000 as a add-on once you've taken delivery. The company also just announced that it would offer Autopilot for free as part of a one-month trial. Tesla declined to comment on Volvo's comment. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: The VergeImage Credit: AOL Green Tesla Volvo Technology Autonomous Vehicles Electric Future Vehicles Tesla Autopilot volvo drive me

Volvo, Polestar reportedly planning twin city-friendly electric SUVs

Volvo is nearly ready to unveil the next generation of the XC90, its flagship model, but it's not forgetting about the other end of its range. It's reportedly planning to launch an entry-level model that will take the form of a pocket-sized crossover powered by an electric drivetrain. Without citing sources, British magazine Autocar reported that the model will ride on a modular platform developed by Volvo parent company Geely and called SEA internally. This architecture already underpins the 001 sold by Zeekr, which is another brand in the Geely empire. No technical specifications are available at this point, but the report sketches the outline of a high-riding model with a sleek-looking silhouette. This isn't the first time we've heard about Volvo's city-friendly SUV; earlier rumors claimed it would be called XC20 or C20, names that would have clearly signaled the model's positioning as being below the 40-badged cars. Volvo is moving away from this naming system, however, and the cars it will launch in the coming years will receive actual names. With that said, both the XC20 and the C20 names are off the table. Polestar's take on the concept of an electric entry-level crossover will be positioned between the 2 and the 3, though it will somewhat confusingly be called 4. It sounds like the model will be bigger and more expensive than Volvo's, and Autocar learned that it could be closely related to the C40 Recharge (pictured) underneath the sheetmetal. If that's accurate, it will share its CMA architecture with the 2, among other models, and it will be offered with either a single electric motor that zaps the front wheels or dual-motor all-wheel-drive. Both EVs will have at least one thing in common: a mission to boost sales. For Volvo, launching a battery-powered car pegged near the bottom of its range will increase the percentage of EVs in its global sales mix. It's planning to cross the 50% mark by 2025. For Polestar, entering cheaper segments will allow it to boost its annual sales by reaching less affluent buyers, though it will remain a premium brand. Polestar 4 is tentatively due out in 2023. There's no word on when Volvo will release its smallest EV to date.

Big rig gets blown over on Wyoming freeway, flattens police cruiser

A big rig navigating a stretch of windy Wyoming highway last week was blown over by high winds and landed on a Wyoming Highway Patrol cruiser. According to CBS News, three Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers responded to an accident along Interstate 80 near Elk Mountain on February 7. While the troopers were out of their cars assisting the crash victims, a white Volvo semi-truck lumbered up I-80 toward them. Wind gusts in that part of Wyoming were clocked in at up to 90 miles per hour on Tuesday, and one of them caught the semi as it neared the parked cruisers. Video from one of the cruiser's onboard cameras showed the big rig drift to the right as a big gust hit the trailer. Slowly, the whole rig tipped over and flattened one of the parked cruisers. The truck then slid a few feet on its side and came to a stop just aft of the cruiser. None of the troopers were injured in the incident, and two people in the truck came out of it unhurt as well. Patrol Lieutenant David Wagener told KGWN that that stretch of I-80 was closed on Tuesday to lightweight, high-profile vehicles. The truck driver was cited for the incident. High winds are no joke, and vehicles getting blown around or even clean off the road is a pretty common phenomenon. Way back in 2011, a truck got blown over in Utah. Then there was a train that got blown off a bridge in Louisiana in 2015. Related Video: News Source: CBS News, KGWN Auto News Dodge Volvo Driving Safety Truck Commercial Vehicles Police/Emergency Sedan semi truck rollover wyoming